Tsuki no Tragedy
by halcyondaze
Summary: Tenchi and Ryoko return to Earth after a trip in space to find everyone missing. They find themselves traveling throughout subspace to try to find everyone, but are they being lead into a trap? And what does any of this have to do with Ryoko's gems...?
1. Chapter 1

**Tsuki no Tragedy - Chapter 1**  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.  
  
Author's Note: This is the sequel to my other really long series of fanfics. They didn't have an overall title. But, I decided to continue them. This series won't be as long or as heavy, I hope. If you hadn't read my other fanfics, you should know that Kiyone and Mihoshi are not going to be in these simply because of situations in my other series.   
  
**~** **Chapter 1** **~**  
  
Ryoko and Tenchi had been gone from Okayama for about six months. Neither of them had any contact with the others and life in space hasn't been quite as exciting as Tenchi had expected. In fact, things hadn't exactly been the way Ryoko remembered either.  
  
Life had been boring. Both were ready to go back to Earth, at least there something happened occasionally.  
  
"I don't understand it, Tenchi. My life wasn't this boring before...really, there was some fun every so often."  
  
"Well, there certainly isn't now, Ryoko." Tenchi says, sitting on the floor next to Ryoko's chair on Ryo-Ohki.  
  
"Maybe its because I've stuck so close to Earth. We could go visit other places. No offense, Tenchi dear, but your solar system isn't the most exciting place in the universe."  
  
"Why don't we contact Aeka and the others? Just to check in on them." Tenchi suggested, laying back now.  
  
"Oh, fine. I was only trying to offer some suggestions." She said, flipping on the communication screen.  
  
The two sat there listening to the sound of a phone ringing for quite sometime.  
  
"Hmm, maybe nobody's home..." Ryoko said, glancing over at Tenchi.  
  
"Washu leaving her lab? How often does she do that?"  
  
"It has been six months Tenchi. Maybe she's gotten a life since then."   
  
"Can't you contact her telepathically?" Tenchi asked.  
  
Ryoko sighed.  
  
"I guess I can try."  
  
And try she did, but with no avail.  
  
"I'm not getting any answer at all, Tenchi. Washu would have answered. Maybe we're just too far away."  
  
"Let's go back, then."  
  
"Are you sure, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked him, already steering Ryo-Ohki toward Earth.  
  
"Yes," Tenchi said.  
  
*****Elsewhere*****  
  
Jiro Shino was one of the most unknown people in the universe. When he showed himself at the Masaki household two months previous to the situation we saw earlier, nobody had any clue who this man was. Not even Little Washu who is Jiro's old rival!  
  
Well, either way, Jiro was now holding the entire Masaki clan in a small holding cell somewhere in the far reaches of space. In a completely empty environment Washu couldn't contact Ryoko or Ryo-Ohki and Aeka's guardians Azaka and Kamidake were completely powerless. Even little Sasami's assimilated alter ego Tsunami couldn't help them out of this mess.  
  
Jiro, a disgruntled Jurain, had been banished from the planet some seventeen thousand years ago. After leaving Jurai, he headed to the Science Academy where he met Washu and rather quickly became her rival, like so many others. Well, you'll see, Jiro enjoys talking about himself so he does so rather often.  
  
"How long have we been here now?" Nobuyuki, Tenchi's father asked. The same thing has happened since Jiro trapped them here.  
  
"Two months, one week, and three days." Washu said, sighing.  
  
"Will Tenchi ever show up, Miss Washu? Him and Ryoko could be in space forever before they realize we're not at home." Sasami said, sitting next to her older sister.  
  
"Ryoko and Tenchi will show up soon, I'm sure of it." Washu said.  
  
"How will they find this place, Washu?" Aeka asked.  
  
"They will know where to come." The tiny scientist answered with the utmost confidence in her daughter and Tenchi.  
  
"I hope you're right, Washu." Nobuyuki whined. He's well known for that, you know.  
  
"Have faith, Nobuyuki." Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather said calmly. Never betraying his cool exterior. "Ryoko and Tenchi will find their way here. If anyone can get us out of here, it is those two working as a team."  
  
Nobuyuki nodded.  
  
Washu only watched the others. She had a feeling there was more to this situation than what met the eye. She would be right, of course. But there was no way to know for certain. There was no way to escape this prison created by an ordinary human. A Jurain, used to advanced technology, of course, but still only a human. Not to mention a human who didn't have half of the intelligence of Washu herself. If that's the case, then why couldn't she get them out of this place? Why couldn't Tsunami?  
  
As all this was going on, Jiro watched happily from his little room in pseudo-space somewhere. He was having too much fun with this. Stumping the greatest genius in the universe was a small perk compared to what he was to have later. His ultimate goal finally realized, but it all depended on that boy called Tenchi.  
  
*****Back on Ryo-Ohki*****  
  
"How much longer until we get to Earth, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, constantly looking over her shoulder.  
  
"Not long now, Tenchi. We'll get there soon, I promise. Just stop that. Its annoying." Ryoko said, moving away from Tenchi's worried paces.  
  
"Sorry." He said as he continued.  
  
"I know you're worried Tenchi. We'll figure out what's going on. Ryo-Ohki! Hurry up." She said, impatiently. She was just as eager to find out what had happened to the others.  
  
"Miaaao." Was Ryo-Ohki's response as she increased her speed to Earth. She too was worried, what had happened to Sasami?  
  
After about an hour, they arrived at earth and at the Masaki shrine which had now been unkept for two months. The house itself showed signs of disarray.  
  
Ryoko and Tenchi exited Ryo-Ohki and the spaceship sooner returned to her cabbit form as she jumped onto Ryoko's shoulder.  
  
"What's happened here?" Tenchi wondered aloud as they walked slowly toward the house.  
  
"I don't know. Whatever has happened, it doesn't look like anyone is here anymore, Tenchi."  
  
They slowly walked into the house. Everything was in the exact place it would have been if everyone was only asleep in their rooms. Nothing was different. The interior showed no sign of anything suspicious or mistreatment. It wasn't even dusty.  
  
"I'll check upstairs." Tenchi said, already running up the steps to check his room as well as Aeka's and his father's.  
  
Ryoko went into Washu's laboratory which was still intact and even unlocked, which was strange when Washu wasn't around.  
  
"Washu? Are you in here?" Ryoko asked loudly, hoping to find some sign of life in the huge laboratory.  
  
"Miao?" Ryo-Ohki called as well.  
  
Ryoko sighed. This was creepy. She had never seen Washu's lab so empty.  
  
"Ryoko? Did you find anything in here?" Tenchi asked, walking to the lab.  
  
"No. There's nothing here at all. Its as if they were just lifted from the house, even Washu. Whatever happened, it effected this dimension. But I can't imagine we weren't left any clues." Ryoko said, sitting down at Washu's computer, calling up her holo-top.  
  
"You know how to work this stuff?" Tenchi asked, amazed.  
  
"To a small extent. Enough to get the information we need, I'm sure." She said as she started to type as quickly as Tenchi had ever seen Washu type.  
  
After a while, Tenchi sat down next to Ryoko and studied the computer screen in front of them.  
  
"What's this?" He asked, pointing to the screen.  
  
"I'm not sure. I believe this is Washu's readings of power levels around the house and the Shrine." Ryoko said, pointing to spikes in the graph.  
  
"So this spike here shows that there was a large energy reaction near the Shrine." Tenchi said.  
  
"Yeah, it looks that way. These have been simplified...I think that Washu knew we'd show up and she left these here for us to find. This is some clue to what happened to them, but I don't see anything that would tell us where they are." Ryoko said, sitting back from the computer.   
  
"Well, I guess that its enough that we have this information for now..."  
  
"Wait a minute...I've heard Washu talk about tracing a person's life form data back in time to locate them through time."  
  
"If we could find Aeka, Sasami, or Washu's data in the system, we could find them? Do you know how to do that Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, looking over at her.  
  
"I don't know. I'm pretty sure I could." Ryoko said, typing information into Washu's computer again.  
  
After a long, confusing bout with Washu's fail safes and charts in ancient alien languages, Ryoko finally got to the information she needed.  
  
"Look here, Tenchi." She said, pointing to the graph. "This is Aeka and Sasami's energy. The house has been completely devoid of their energy for over two months. That's how long they've been gone."  
  
"Does it say where they went to?"   
  
"I don't know. The energy traces are no longer on Earth."  
  
"So they went back into space?"  
  
"No, there is still Jurai energy on the planet. Funaho and Ryu-oh are still here. Everyone else is gone." Ryoko said, continuing to watch the graph as it scrolled through the time period of their disappearance to the present.  
  
"Look at that, Ryoko. What's that?" Tenchi said, noticing a glitch on the graph.  
  
"I don't know." Ryoko said, going back to it. "I think it might be the answer we've been looking for though."  
  
"So you can tell where they're at?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think I can. Look at this, Tenchi...the life form data traces into another dimension."  
  
"Another dimension? How can you tell?"   
  
"Because you just can tell. Washu has this color coded, each color signifies another dimension. The red is subspace, or pseudo-space. The energy data transfers from blue, which is the dimension that the house is in, into red."  
  
"So they're in subspace?"  
  
"Yes, I think so."  
  
"So how do we find them?"  
  
"We follow the energy traces and hope it leads us to them. That's all we can do." Ryoko said.  
  
"I'm impressed, Ryoko." Tenchi said, standing up.  
  
"Yeah, right. Its not like Washu didn't oversimplify things here."  
  
"So how do we get into subspace?"  
  
"Miao, miao, miao!" They heard Ryo-Ohki from the other side of the laboratory.  
  
"What is it, Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi asked, walking up behind her.  
  
"This must be the portal into subspace."  
  
"But if we walk into subspace, how will we know where to go to find them?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki is capable of tracing specific energy patterns. If I give her the information, she should be able to track Aeka and Sasami and your grandfather."  
  
"Let's do that then." Tenchi said as Ryo-Ohki jumped onto Ryoko's shoulder again and they walked back to Washu's computer.  
  
"All right." Ryoko said once the information had been transferred into Ryo-Ohki's memory. "That should be good. Can you follow the energy patterns so far, Ryo-Ohki?"   
  
"Miao." The small cabbit said, leading her back to the portal further into subspace.  
  
"Let's go then, Ryoko." Tenchi said.  
  
"All right." Ryoko said, stepping into the subspace portal.  
  
Tenchi followed.  
  
*****Elsewhere, in Subspace*****  
  
"They're coming." Washu said suddenly, causing everyone else to look up in her direction.  
  
"How do you know, Washu?" Aeka asked.  
  
"The barrier that was blocking my telepathic bond with Ryoko has collapsed. That means she's entered into subspace."   
  
"So you can communicate with her?" Sasami asked.  
  
"No, not yet. I can only tell that she is in pseudo-space."  
  
"But isn't your laboratory in subspace as well, Washu?" Katsuhito asked.  
  
"Yes, but there are barriers in the laboratory that keeps it rooted in our dimension so as long as anyone is in my lab they are essentially still on earth."  
  
"So Ryoko is actually in subspace now? No longer in your lab?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What about Tenchi? Can you tell if he is with her?" Aeka asked.  
  
"If Ryoko is coming, I'm certain that Tenchi is with her." Washu said, satisfied that the information she had time to leave was understood by the two of them.  
  
*****Jiro's Subspace Room*****  
  
This was too perfect. The boy Tenchi was coming right to him. He wasn't going to have to do much as far as capturing the boy and the pirate Ryoko. Tenchi was easier to track in subspace and Jiro knew that Ryoko would be with him. The Jurai energy Tenchi emitted would lead Jiro straight to the two of them and the completion of his life-long project. He would finally have Washu's greatest achievement within his grasps and there wouldn't be anyone to stop him.  
  
===============  
**End Chapter 1**  



	2. Chapter 2

**Tsuki no Tragedy - Chapter 2**  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.  
  
** ~ Chapter 2 ~  
  
"**This is subspace?" Tenchi asked, following Ryoko.  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"Do you know where you're going, Ryoko?" Tenchi let his fingers touch the hilt of the Master Key, allowing him the knowledge of its presence.  
  
"No. But this way seems as good as any." She said, flying two feet off the ground.  
  
Tenchi sighed and looked around. How could anyone find their way in subspace? It was a grey void of, well, space. The area between dimensions and they had to somehow find the dimension where Washu, Aeka, Sasami, his father, and grandfather had been taken.   
  
To Tenchi, this seemed like an impossible task, even with everything that's happened since the girls arrived five years ago. Now they were wondering around in a vast nothingness trying to find five people.  
  
"Tenchi, stop." Ryoko said suddenly.  
  
"What is it Ryoko?" He asked, looking around, seeing nothing.  
  
Of course Tenchi knew that Ryoko's sensing abilities went far beyond his own, even with his Jurai power. Ryoko was created for stuff like this.  
  
"There's something else here, Tenchi." She said lowly, a red ball of energy forming above her palm. She fisted her hand and her energy sword appeared.  
  
Tenchi looked around. He could sense another presence now as well. In the darkness around them, he could hear a growling noise, though it was impossible to determine where it was coming from.  
  
Neither of them moved, waiting for whatever was waiting in the shadows to emerge and reveal itself to them. After countless minutes, nothing happened, but the low growling noise remained.  
  
"Maybe its nothing, Ryoko. We're probably just overreacting." Tenchi said, starting to walk in the direction they were headed earlier.  
  
Ryoko dropped herself to the ground and stopped him. She was still on full alert, knowing that whatever was watching something was going to attack and soon.   
  
Suddenly there was a ripple in the area around them. Tenchi looked around, trying to see what was going on.  
  
"Did you see that, Ryoko? What was that?"   
  
"I don't know. Maybe another dimension. We are between dimensions here, I guess any other dimension connects to subspace anywhere."  
  
"So we could just walk into another dimension and not even realize it? How will we know when we find Dad and the others?"  
  
"We just will, Tenchi. Maybe you were right, maybe we were hearing things. Let's go." She said, walking in her previous direction slowing still grasping her energy sword.  
  
Tenchi followed, looking around cautiously.  
  
  
*****Elsewhere in Subspace*****  
  
"Something's wrong." Washu said, leaning back against the invisible wall of the holding cell.  
  
"What do you mean, Washu?" Aeka asked, glancing over at her.  
  
Aeka stretched her arms for a moment, tired of being locked up in this cell. There was never any rest living at the Masaki residence, but maybe that's why she has stayed there so long. Maybe that's why she stayed there even after Tenchi ran off with Ryoko. It seemed to Aeka that Tenchi has finally made his choice, but why did she stay around? Why did she allow herself to get into another situation where she was once again the damsel in distress, never capable of defending herself...always getting captured? Could she have defended herself against this Jiro person? Or did she want to see Tenchi again so badly?  
  
"There is something following them." Washu said quietly.  
  
"How can you tell that, Washu?" Aeka asked, glancing to everyone else who had been asleep for some time.  
  
"Through Ryoko, of course. I can't communicate with her directly through whatever shields are up against this room, but I can lead her here. I can see through her eyes. There's something following them, she knows it."  
  
"Do you know what it is? Or why it would be following them?"   
  
"I can't tell what it is. Ryoko doesn't know, so I can't tell either. It hasn't shown itself yet. I can guess at why its following them though. Jiro is after Ryoko, its obvious. There is no one else here that he could possibly be interested in."  
  
"Ryoko? Why?" Aeka asked.  
  
"Because of the way she was born. She was created in a laboratory...my laboratory. She has remarkable powers that she doesn't even know about yet. She has capabilities beyond anyone's wildest dreams and if Jiro gets a hold of her, he'll use her as a blueprint to making his own fighter. One with full knowledge of its capability."  
  
"But Ryoko's power comes from her gems. She has the only set of them, doesn't she? Besides the ones that were destroyed on the Souja..."  
  
"No, she doesn't, but she does have the only gems available to Jiro."  
  
"So what will happen to Ryoko if Jiro gets all of her gems? She'll be all right, right? I mean, she's gone without her gems before."  
  
"She's gone without three of her gems, Aeka."  
  
"I thought that was all she had."  
  
"No, she has four gems. The three exterior gems give her power, such as her ability to fly and phase through solid objects. Her fourth gem sustains her life. It gives her the power to function as a human being. I could have created her to function without these gems, but they make her so much more powerful."  
  
"And they also seem to be her downfall, Washu." Aeka scolded the little scientist.  
  
"Yes, they do. You see, Ryoko doesn't even know about the fourth gem. It's what makes her truly a creation and not a human. She can never know about it."  
  
"But without it, she will die?"  
  
Washu nodded.  
  
  
*****Somewhere else in Subspace*****  
  
"How much farther, do you think, Ryoko?"  
  
"I have no idea, Tenchi." She said, stopping to sit down.  
  
"How long do you think we've been walking?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe about a day, maybe more."  
  
"Feels like more."  
  
"Then it probably has been."  
  
"Do you hear that still?" Tenchi asked, pointing out the sound that they had both heard earlier in their long trek through subspace.   
  
Ryoko nodded. She had known that whatever was there had been following them. She was growing anxious at having a stalker. She leaned over and rested her back against Tenchi's, stretching her arms slowly.  
  
"Are you all right, Ryoko?" He asked, turning his head slightly to the side.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Tenchi. Just a bit tired."  
  
Tenchi nodded. Time doesn't pass in subspace, but the human body definitely feels the effect of time no matter where it is. They had no way of knowing what time it was in their dimension or how long they had been inside subspace. They didn't know when they would find their friends and family and they definitely didn't know if they could rest with that persistent thing following their every move.  
  
Ryoko couldn't figure out what was going on. She knew that the others had to have been taken. That was beyond obvious, but why haven't they gotten out on their own? Aeka, Washu, and Tsunami's power should have been more than enough to stop whatever their enemy was. If whatever had abducted them could defeat their power, then how would she and Tenchi be capable of fighting against it?  
  
Before Ryoko could bring any of these questions up to Tenchi, a large black figure stepped into subspace. They had finally met their stalker. Ryoko was the first to see him and he grabbed her before she could tell Tenchi. Tenchi, who was leaning on Ryoko fell backward as she was violently pulled to her feet.  
  
He quickly got on his feet and reached for the Master Key and ignited it. Ryoko using her own resources summoned her energy sword and slashed at the figure holding her tightly by her neck. She aimed directly for the figure's midsection...nothing happened.   
  
"Tenchi, get out of here! You have to find the others and get them back, I can handle this guy." Ryoko said, hoping that Tenchi didn't see the figure's reaction to her energy sword.  
  
"I won't leave you, Ryoko." Tenchi said, ready to attack the figure at its next movement.  
  
Ryoko, at this time, was gasping for breath. The dark figure simply stood there.  
  
"What do you want?" Tenchi shouted. "Let her go."  
  
"She is needed for the completion of Jiro's project." The figure said, its voice deep and gravely.  
  
"What? Who is Jiro?" Tenchi shouted.  
  
"You'll find out soon enough." The large figure said, wrapping its other hand around the boy.  
  
"Tenchi, no!" Ryoko said, her vision starting to blur.  
  
  
*****In Jiro's Subspace Room*****  
  
Jiro was laughing maniacally. This was too perfect! His plan was going exactly the way he wanted. His creation had both the pirate and the boy is its grasp and they would be there with the others shortly. Finally Jiro would be able to create his warrior, the warrior with the strength fifty times that of the pirate's.   
  
Jiro had always wanted someone to perform his every whim. If the pirate could terrorize the universe with half her power, imagine what his warrior could do. The time was at hand now...his greatest invention ever.  
  
================  
*End Chapter 2*  



	3. Chapter 3

**Tsuki no Tragedy - Chapter 3**  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.  
  
** ~ Chapter 3 ~  
  
**Ryoko opened her eyes slowly, it was the only part of her she could move. She was in a white room; standing upright, or at least she was being held upright by the heavy restraints on her arms, legs, neck and across her stomach. She couldn't teleport and she could barely see. All her strength was gone.  
  
"I see you've finally awakened." A deep voice said in her ear.   
  
She tried to turn her head to see who was keeping her there, but she either couldn't, or she didn't have the energy. She couldn't tell which.  
  
"What do you want? Who are you? What did you do with Tenchi?" She asked, her mind and vision clearing more as she spoke.  
  
A tall man stepped into her vision. A man taller than she had ever seen. He had his long silver hair tied back and he stared at her with eyes so pale they looked white. He had an amused expression on his face.  
  
"The crown prince of Jurai is with the others. As for who I am, I am Jiro. I think that's all you really need to know right now." He said, smiling politely.  
  
"You're the one who took Washu and the others! What do you want with them?" She asked, now being able to function normally, at least orally.  
  
"I don't want anything with them, Ryoko. You're the one I want." He said, stepping toward her.   
  
It was only then that she noticed her lack of clothing. She rolled her eyes. This seemed to happen every time she was taken prisoner. It was rather annoying.  
  
"Why do you want me?" She asked, testing the restraints.  
  
"You won't be able to get out of those. I know your capabilities. I'm not about to make it so easy for you to get away from me. Not after two thousand years." Jiro said, walking out of Ryoko's vision again.  
  
"Answer my question!" She screamed at him.  
  
Quickly he stepped in front of her again.  
  
"Who are you to ask questions of me?"  
  
"Who are you to keep me here?" She countered. "What do you want?!"  
  
"Don't concern yourself with that right now, Ryoko. Just go back to sleep, there will be plenty of time to explain later." He said.  
  
Ryoko suddenly felt a sharp prick in her shoulder and things started to become hazy again. Her energy, what little of it she had gathered while she was conscious, drained faster than it had come to her and everything went black.  
  
******  
  
"Tenchi! Tenchi wake up!" Sasami shook the young man's shoulder. "C'mon Tenchi..."   
  
Slowly Tenchi opened his eyes and found Washu, Aeka, Sasami, his father, and grandfather gazing down at him.  
  
"Thank goodness! We were starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up." Aeka said.  
  
"Where am I?" He asked, sitting up slowly.  
  
"We are somewhere in subspace. I couldn't tell you where." Washu said, leaning back against the invisible wall.  
  
"We're so glad to see you Tenchi. Its been so long. We were wondering if you'd even realize we were gone." Aeka said.  
  
"Where's Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, suddenly realizing that she wasn't there.  
  
Aeka glanced at Washu, leaving it to the small genius to explain.  
  
"Jiro has her right now, Tenchi."  
  
"Jiro? That's the name the thing that attacked us said. Why does he have Ryoko? Is she all right?"  
  
"He has Ryoko because he wants her power. He wants her gems." Washu said.  
  
"All _four_ of the gems." Aeka interrupted.  
  
"Four? I thought she only had three gems. 'Three gems for power,' that was the legend." Tenchi said, remembering the stories he had been told about the demon in the cave and its source of power. If he had only known what freeing Ryoko would bring...  
  
"The three gems give her power, Tenchi. You've seen it. The fourth gem sustains her life. I believe that's why she had a reaction the way she did when she had all of the gems together again after such a long time."  
  
"Why would he want these gems?"  
  
"Because of their power, Tenchi. They can be controlled easily. Its a manipulative power Jiro is after. Unfortunately he knows so much about Ryoko's power, he knows every way to prevent her from using it."  
  
"What is he going to do, Washu? You sound like you know what he has planned."  
  
"He plans to use Ryoko to have his own creation. A warrior he plans to conquer the universe with. He is going to try to take all of Ryoko's gems and then copy her genetic make-up."  
  
"All of her gems? But she doesn't have all of her gems." Tenchi said, holding up the Master Key with two of Ryoko's gems embedded in the handle. "She never wanted the other two back."  
  
"Good...that should buy us sometime then. Although I'm pretty sure that Jiro knows about the Master Key. Otherwise he wouldn't have drawn you in along with her."  
  
"Unless he was using Tenchi from the beginning to get her here by taking us. He knew she would follow him." Sasami chimed in suddenly.  
  
Washu smiled at the girl's input.   
  
"That actually seems more likely, and more hopeful for us." She said.  
  
"Either way, we can't get out of here, Washu." Aeka said.  
  
"Now that we have Tenchi here, we might actually be able to leave." Washu said, reaching into her shirt and withdrawing six gems identical to Ryoko's gems.  
  
"What are those, Washu?" Sasami asked. "They look like Ryoko's gems."  
  
"They are, essentially. They're exactly the same. They hold the same power. There are ten gems total. Ryoko has two, Tenchi has two, and I have the other six. These were from Kagato's ship, Souja and Ryo-Ohki. When these combine they have the ability of generating power beyond explanation."  
  
"What is this power, Washu?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"The Ten Wings of the Light Hawk." Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather, spoke up.  
  
They all looked from Washu to Katsuhito and back to Washu again.  
  
"The Light Hawk Wings? How is that possible? I thought only Tsunami could generate all ten." Aeka said.  
  
"There are three powers in the Universe that can create the Light Hawk Wings, Aeka. Tsunami is only one of them. The other is Tokimi. The third is the possessor of these gems which are already assimilated in the others. These gems were once mine." Washu said, looking at the six gems she held in the palm of her hand.  
  
"What?" Everyone asked in unison, astonished.  
  
"Twenty-thousand years ago, after I lost my husband and baby, I discovered a way to remove the ability to generate the Wings from my body. I thought that taking away this power would kill me. That I would no longer be immortal as I had been all my millennia of existence. I can't tell you when I was born, and I don't know if I will ever die.  
  
"Once I realized that removing these from my body didn't make me mortal, I started to create carriers for these gems. Each drawing the power from the gems for their own reasons. I created the Souja with four, Ryoko with four, and Ryo-Ohki with two. None of Ryo-Ohki's gems were life sustaining as Ryoko's are.  
  
"I didn't know it at the time, but removing the gems from me completely destroyed my memory from before that time. After Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki were created, I was locked away for so long. I had no exposure to the gems except for the gems on Souja, and while in the mirror dimension, there was no effect on me.  
  
"Once Mihoshi released me and Tenchi defeated Kagato, I started to recall my past. All of the gems were in one place. Over time I remembered my husband and my baby. I slowly started to remember my past...all of it. I know what I am, I know what Tokimi and Tsunami are. They are my sisters, destined to rule over all corners of the Multiverse. The many dimensions."  
  
Everyone sat quietly at Washu explained the origin of these ten gems. Nobody knew what to say.  
  
"Miao, miao, miao." They heard suddenly.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami said happily.  
  
"Miao!" Ryo-Ohki mewed.  
  
"Is there anyway Ryo-Ohki can help get us out of here?" Sasami asked.  
  
Washu sat quietly for a moment.  
  
"Maybe there is. Ryo-Ohki, try to phase through the outer barrier of this cell."  
  
After two or three attempts, Ryo-Ohki finally made it through the barrier.  
  
"Perfect!" Washu said.  
  
Everyone else just stared at her.  
  
"Now what do we do? Ryo-Ohki is stuck in here with us now." Nobuyuki spoke up.  
  
"No, she isn't. She got through the barrier once, she can do it again and, like Ryoko, if she is phasing through an object when someone is touching her, they phase through the object as well."  
  
"So Ryo-Ohki can get us out of here."  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"Miao!"  
  
*****  
  
"Ryoko, if you only knew what you were contributing to, you would be so glad. You will be part of my conquest of the universe."  
  
"I don't want to be a part of it. I want to take my friends and go back to my life." She said, still resisting against the restraints.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ryoko. This is too important to me. And it is a shame that I will have to destroy such a lovely...figure as yourself." He said, his eyes moving slowly over Ryoko's body.  
  
"Get a life, you pervert." She said, disgusted.  
  
Jiro tugged his silver ponytail out of his collar and sighed.  
  
"You're so difficult. You're as brash as Washu. It's a shame she transferred her attitude into you. You'd be likable otherwise."  
  
"Shut up, you bastard and let me go!" She screamed.  
  
"Ryoko, stop it." He said calmly, slapping her across the face.  
  
She stopped and glared at him.  
  
Suddenly the table she was restrained to started to move backward until Ryoko was in a prone position, now staring at the ceiling.  
  
"I have to locate these gems of yours, Ryoko. Stay still." He said, flipping a switch on a large machine.  
  
A large arm moved away from the machine and settled itself on Ryoko's forehead and slowly moved down her body, scanning for the source of her power. Once it was finished, the table and Ryoko were moved back to the vertical position they were in first.  
  
"Dammit. Where are your other two gems?"   
  
"What are you talking about? I only have three. I told you this before." She said.  
  
"You have four gems, you idiot! How else would you be able to function without the other three?! My god, you know nothing about yourself. This is pathetic! Tell me where those other two gems are now!"  
  
"I don't know!" She shouted back.  
  
Jiro suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her face closer to his.   
  
"You better remember or you *and* your friends die."  
  
=============  
*End Chapter 3*


	4. Chapter 4

**Tsuki no Tragedy - Chapter 4**  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.  
  
** ~ Chapter 4 ~  
  
** One by one Tenchi, Washu, and the others left their prison with the help of Ryo-Ohki.   
  
"There's nothing out here guarding us." Washu said, somewhat surprised.  
  
"I guess he thought we wouldn't be able to get through that barrier." Aeka said.  
  
"Most likely, but I find it difficult to believe that Jiro knows so much about Ryoko's capability, but not Ryo-Ohki, when they are so similar."   
  
"Well, whether he knows about Ryo-Ohki or not, we're out of that box now. Can you tell where Ryoko is, Washu?" Tenchi asked.  
  
Washu was silent for a minute.  
  
"Can you, Washu?" Tenchi urged, getting impatient.  
  
"Yes, barely."  
  
"What do you mean 'barely?' Is she all right?"   
  
"Let's go everyone." Washu said, ignoring Tenchi's question and leading them to Jiro's laboratory.  
  
*****  
  
"Your friends are on their way here. I really didn't want them to see your death, Ryoko. I wanted to spare them that much."  
  
Ryoko scoffed.  
  
"I'm surprised you care, you bastard." She said, still struggling against the restraints that held her tightly to the table.  
  
"You misjudge me, Ryoko. I would never take a human life. What I am doing now it strictly science. Call it an experimental dissection."  
  
"On a human, you idiot!"  
  
"No, Ryoko. You're not human." Jiro said matter of factly. "You are a creation. The joining of biomaterials. You came out of a lab."  
  
"I am a human being, no matter where I come from."  
  
Jiro only shook his head.  
  
"Well, we'll see, won't we? Now, how to do this without releasing your restraints..." He said, thinking aloud to himself.  
  
_Washu, can you here me?_ Ryoko tried to contact Washu. Jiro said that they were out of that barrier now...  
  
_Ryoko, it's good to hear from you. Do you know where you are? _Washu asked.  
  
_In some lab. You know what he's going to do to me?   
  
Yes, I do. I'm bringing Aeka and Tenchi with me. We can get you out of there.  
  
NO! Don't bring Tenchi as long as he has the Master Key. Then Jiro will have all of my gems.  
  
Don't worry about it, Ryoko.  
  
_Don't worry about it...yeah, right.  
  
"Your telepathy works all right now?" Jiro asked, looking up from his computer screen.  
  
Ryoko only glared at him.  
  
Jiro sighed loudly.  
  
"Are you ready to tell me where your other gems are yet? I already have a pretty good idea, but I'm just waiting to find out if I'm correct."  
  
"I'm not telling you anything."  
  
*****  
  
"How much further Washu? Can you tell?" Tenchi asked, finding himself eager to be sure that Ryoko was safe. Its odd that he didn't feel like this when he and Ryoko had entered subspace looking for everyone else.  
  
"Its not far at all, little boy." A deep voice said to them.  
  
"Jiro..." Washu said aloud.  
  
The large man stepped out of the shadows in front of them and looked at the Master Key intently, immediately finding what he had been looking for.  
  
"You have her gems. Did you think you could keep them from me?" He said, tightening his hand into a fist.  
  
Suddenly Tenchi dropped the Master Key.  
  
"Tenchi, what are you doing?" Washu asked him, moving toward the sword but suddenly finding herself unable to move.  
  
"Follow me." Jiro said, picking up the Master Key.  
  
Tenchi, Washu, Aeka, and the others were pulled along behind Jiro, unable to move enough to accomplish anything toward gaining their freedom.  
  
Finally they were brought into a large white room and placed inside another barrier similar to the first.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi said, noticing her at the opposite end of the room.  
  
"Tenchi! You shouldn't be here! Where's the Master Key?" She asked, noticing it in Jiro's hand.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ryoko." Tenchi said.  
  
"Ryoko, can't you get through the restraints?" Aeka asked.  
  
"Of course she can't, stupid princess." Jiro said.   
  
A computer beeped suddenly as an alarm went off behind Ryoko.  
  
"What is that?" Ryoko asked, pulling against the restraints.  
  
"Well, well. There's more gems in here, Washu." He said, looking at the small scientist.  
  
"Washu, you didn't..." Ryoko said, knowing that things were looking worse as the seconds progressed.  
  
Suddenly Jiro was holding the other six gems as well as the Master Key.   
  
"Only two gems to go, Ryoko." Jiro said, glancing toward her.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Tenchi yelled, slamming his fist against the barrier.  
  
"Now, now, prince. Don't hurt yourself." Jiro said, moving toward Ryoko.  
  
Suddenly his hand was enveloped in a bright light and Ryoko screamed in pain.  
  
"Ryoko, no!" Sasami screamed.  
  
"Sasami..." Aeka said, turning the young girl away and looking away herself.  
  
Ryoko's gem on her wrist disappeared quickly and the final gem, the one that kept her life force was pulled from her chest as she screamed in pain.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted. "Help her, Washu!" He said, looking over at her.  
  
"There's nothing I can do, Tenchi!" She said, not looking him in the eye.  
  
"Finally!" Jiro said, holding the 10 gems in his hands. "Finally..."  
  
"Ten..chi..." Ryoko said faintly.  
  
"You're still alive?" Jiro said, disgusted. "Well, not for long. I'll leave you like that. Just so you can see the others die."  
  
"Don't!" Ryoko said, summoning her voice to try to stop him.  
  
"What are you going to do, Ryoko? You'll be dead within five minutes."  
  
"Leave her alone! Don't kill her!" Sasami said, crying.  
  
Jiro ignored her.  
  
All of the sudden the ten gems began to glow.  
  
"What's going on?" Jiro asked himself aloud.  
  
"The gems...they're fusing together." Washu said.  
  
"What does that mean, Washu?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Jiro said, sending three large energy blasts toward them.  
  
The group was scattered throughout the white room.  
  
"Aeka, Sasami...are you all right?"  
  
"We're fine Tenchi. All of us. You just get the Master Key back." Washu said, mentally willing the young man to get to his feet. "There's still a chance to save her."   
  
Jiro, now holding the fused form of the ten gems laughed as Tenchi charged toward him and was suddenly thrown back against one of the walls.  
  
"Tenchi!" Ryoko said, her voice failing as she felt all of her energy drain from her body.  
  
"Now, now Ryoko. Why are you still alive?" Jiro said.  
  
"Leave her alone, you bastard! You've done enough." Tenchi said, charging at him once more.  
  
Jiro laughed to himself as he pushed Tenchi away once more.   
  
"Foolish boy."   
  
This time Tenchi laid against the wall, not moving.  
  
"Tenchi!" Aeka screamed, running over to his side.  
  
Ryoko saw this, her vision blurring until everything was a grey shapeless thing with an occasional hint of color. She could no longer hold up her head and she could feel her heartbeat weaken.  
  
She never thought her life would end like this. Not here in a cold laboratory with the love of her life lying unconscious at the other end of the room. The people she cared about most suffering yet again because of her. There was nothing she could do. Only slide further into the darkness.   
  
Her vision was gone now, she could no longer hear Aeka and Washu trying desperately to get Tenchi to wake up. She couldn't hear Sasami's cries. She couldn't feel anything. Her senses were completely gone and finally her heart stopped.  
  
  
=============  
~End Chapter 4~


	5. Chapter 5

**Tsuki no Tragedy - Chapter 5**  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Disclaimer: The Tenchi Muyo! series and characters belong to Pioneer Entertainment, AIC, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people who never get mentioned in disclaimers. I don't own them or claim to.  
  
** ~ Chapter 5 ~  
  
** "Ryoko!" Washu said, trying to get over to the lifeless form of her daughter.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, Washu?" Jiro asked, throwing her across the room. She landed close to Tenchi.  
  
"Tenchi, come on! Wake up!" Aeka urged him.  
  
Sasami sat next to Aeka with Ryo-Ohki on her lap.  
  
"Sasami, get out of here. Get somewhere safe!" Aeka said, glancing over at Nobuyuki and Katsuhito. "Get her out of here." She said to them.  
  
"Let's go, Sasami." Katsuhito said, picking the little girl up off the ground.  
  
"Now, now. Where do you think you're going?" Jiro asked, creating yet another invisible barrier around them.  
  
"Let them go!" Aeka said, standing up and creating her shield around them all.  
  
"Well, now. The little princess is going to try to fight me now." Jiro said with a laugh.  
  
He placed the fused form of the gems on a table in the center of the room and started chanting under his breath.  
  
"What's he doing?" Aeka asked out loud.  
  
"He's casting a spell, it seems." Katsuhito said from behind her.  
  
Aeka stood up straight, ready to give the shield as much strength as she had to.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Tenchi said, rising off the ground slowly.  
  
"Well, well. You've finally woke up. I was starting to wonder if I had killed you."  
  
"Leave Aeka and the others alone. You've already taken Ryoko away from me, I won't let you take them as well." He said, walking out of the range of Aeka's shield.  
  
Washu slowly stood up, her forehead bleeding.  
  
"How are you holding up Aeka?" She asked, walking over to her.  
  
"I'm fine, Miss Washu." Aeka said, standing completely still.  
  
Jiro knelt on the ground and started to chant again.  
  
"Be careful, Tenchi." Washu said. "Get back inside the shield."  
  
"No." Was all he said.  
  
"Washu, what is that?" Sasami asked, pointing over to the fused form of the gems lying on the table.  
  
Washu only looked, afraid to speak and break Jiro's concentration on his spell. They all watched the gem levitate off the table, engulfed in a bright red light. Slowly, it moved toward Ryoko, entering her body where her life-sustaining gem had left her body fifteen minutes earlier.  
  
"What's going on?" Tenchi whispered to himself.  
  
"I knew it!" Washu said happily.  
  
Soon the light was gone and Ryoko lifted her head slowly.  
  
"It's impossible!" Aeka said, astonished.  
  
"Ryoko!" Sasami said happily, catching Jiro's attention.  
  
The tall man stood up and walked over to Ryoko.  
  
"This is impossible. You can't be alive. You're dead." He said, typing on his keyboard furiously.  
  
Slowly Ryoko opened her eyes. The whites of her eyes had changed to a sea green color, brightening her golden irises.   
  
"What's wrong with her, Washu? She looks like she did when Kagato controlled her." Aeka asked, letting the shield collapse around them.  
  
"Its the gems. They're power is being absorbed into her body." Washu said, stepping closer.  
  
Suddenly the restraints that held her before melted away from her body.  
  
"Look at her forehead." Sasami said.  
  
A triangle of three small circles formed on her forehead as she stood in front of Jiro.  
  
"I got rid of you once, I can do it again. You won't escape me so easily." He said, igniting an energy similar to Ryoko's.   
  
Quickly he lunged at Ryoko who stood perfectly still, dodging his attack at the last moment.  
  
"Ryoko! Be careful!" Tenchi shouted.  
  
She didn't respond. It was as if she couldn't hear him and the others. She stood peacefully, watching Jiro's every move.  
  
Jiro attacked again, sending five energy blasts at Ryoko, all of them hit her directly. She stood, protected, her facial expression never changing.  
  
"Look! Its the Light Hawk Wings!" Washu said, watching closely.  
  
"She's gained the power you removed from yourself, Little Washu." Tenchi said.  
  
"This is impossible!" Jiro shouted in a panic. He didn't want to lose, not after he had finally gathered the gems he had been seeking for over two thousand years.  
  
"Nothing is impossible." Ryoko said, her voice no louder than a whisper.  
  
"We'll see." Jiro said, sending another series of blasts at her.  
  
The Light Hawk Wings blocked the majority of them, one hit her in the stomach.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi said, running toward her.  
  
"No, Tenchi!" Aeka said, following him. "You don't even have the Master Key!"  
  
"You two again." Jiro said, throwing a series of energy blasts at them. "I'll finish you once and for all."  
  
Aeka moved to generate her shield and in doing so moved Tenchi out of harm's way. She didn't move fast enough and she took each hit from the series of blasts.  
  
"Aeka! No!" Sasami said, trying to get out of the barrier she was stuck in.  
  
"Aeka, what were you doing?" Tenchi asked, kneeling down next to her.  
  
"Just let Ryoko do this on her own, Tenchi. Don't risk your life when you don't have to."  
  
"Aeka, don't give up so easily."  
  
She laughed, cringing in pain as she did so.  
  
"Easily? Nothing has been harder than giving you up, Tenchi. I'll love you forever, but you belong with Ryoko. Its more obvious now than ever." She touched his face softly.   
  
"Aeka, stop it." Tenchi said. "You'll be fine. Just hold on."  
  
She didn't respond. Tenchi looked down at her, she wasn't breathing.  
  
"Washu..." Tenchi said, looking to her for help.  
  
"She was hurt badly, Tenchi. There's nothing I can do for her here."  
  
Ryoko watched this and turned to Jiro.  
  
She gathered her energy in the palms of her hands, the Light Hawk Wings wrapped around her body like coils of lace. The three small circles on her forehead glowed red as her energy increased and she shot a series of energy blasts back to Jiro.  
  
He was thrown back against the wall and slid to the ground, stunned.  
  
"Get up." Ryoko said calmly, her voice never above a whisper.  
  
Jiro stood up bracing himself for another attack, gathering his strength to return the attack.  
  
"You won't get away from me so easily, Ryoko. I won't let you." He said, using one of the tables in the room to remain standing.  
  
She didn't reply, she simply raised her arms, palms up, toward the ceiling, her palms glowing with a bright red light. She was gathering more energy, collecting it from the air and from the people around her. She fired another volley at him, each hitting him in the chest. He sunk to the ground again.  
  
"Get up." She said, raising her arm, causing him to levitate off the ground.  
  
Jiro stood on his feet once again, no longer trying to focus his energy for an attack. He couldn't survive an attack needed to penetrate the Light Hawk Wings again. He stood completely still.  
  
Ryoko gathered only enough energy to finish Jiro this time, she blasted him as easily as she had previously, watching his body evaporate into nothing. She stood, completely expressionless. Eventually the Light Hawk Wings vanished and she turned to Tenchi and the others. She released Nobuyuki, Sasami, and Katsuhito from their prison and she walked to Aeka.  
  
"Ryoko, she's --" Tenchi started.  
  
"Shhh." She said, placing her right hand on Aeka's forehead, her left over Aeka's heart.  
  
The three circles on her forehead glowed again as she closed her eyes, concentrating her energy on Aeka. Slowly Aeka opened her eyes, finding Ryoko kneeling over her.  
  
"Aeka!" Sasami said.  
  
Slowly Ryoko drew her hands away and stepped back from Aeka, falling to the ground herself.  
  
*****  
  
Ryoko awoke in her bed in Okayama. She was home. Had she always been? Was that all a dream?  
  
"Tenchi! Ryoko's awake!" She heard Sasami shout as she ran out into the hall.   
  
"Sasami, don't shout so." Aeka scolded, walking into Ryoko's room before Tenchi.  
  
"What happened?" Ryoko asked, looking to either of them for an explanation.  
  
"You saved us all, Ryoko." Aeka said, smiling.  
  
"That wasn't a dream?"   
  
"No, Ryoko. You saved all of our lives." Sasami said, smiling.  
  
"How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Its been two weeks, Ryoko." Tenchi said. "Washu was worried at first, but after the first few days we knew you would be all right. You always are." He smiled.  
  
"You saved Aeka's life, Ryoko. Not even Washu could've helped her. We both owe you so much." Sasami said, throwing her arms around Ryoko's neck.  
  
"Sasami...You don't owe me anything." Ryoko said, smiling.  
  
"Sasami, let's let Aeka and Ryoko talk." Tenchi said, pulling the girl off of Ryoko. Together they walked into the hall.  
  
"She's right, Ryoko. I owe you my life."   
  
"Don't start that, Princess. You don't owe me anything."  
  
"Why did you save me, Ryoko? Why did you put so much energy into defeating Jiro and then reviving me? You could have died."   
  
"And you were dead. You're my friend, Aeka. No matter how much we fight, I couldn't let you die. I won't win Tenchi that way." Ryoko said, looking the princess in the eye.  
  
"You've already won Tenchi, Ryoko. You know that. You won him fair and square." Aeka smiled weakly. "I'm glad too."  
  
"Aeka..."  
  
Aeka stood up.   
  
"I'll send Tenchi in."  
  
"Aeka?"  
  
"Yeah?" She asked, not looking at her.  
  
"Thank you, Aeka."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Just thank you."  
  
Aeka walked out of the room, confused.  
  
"Tenchi, she wants you to go inside." She said.  
  
"Not before me." Washu said, pushing passed them. "I am her mother, after all."  
  
"Okay, Little Washu." Tenchi said, leaning against the wall as Washu went into the room.  
  
"How are you feeling, Ryoko?" Washu asked, sitting next to her bed.  
  
"I'm fine, Washu. But, what happened? I was dead, wasn't I?"  
  
Washu nodded.  
  
"The gems brought you back to life. You've inherited the power I gave up so many centuries ago. That's how you were able to bring Aeka back to life. Both of you were dead."  
  
"Everything's different now." Ryoko said, leaning back against her pillows.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I see everything with a completely different sight. Its as if I've never experienced the simple touch of a cotton sheet. Everyone looks different to me, everything is beautiful now. Peaceful."  
  
"You've come back from the dead, Ryoko. You've experienced something most people can't share with others. Of course everything has new meanings to you now."  
  
"I'm still me, right?" Ryoko asked, looking at Washu.  
  
"Of course you are. You're exactly as you were before, only with more power now. But you'll find that it only surfaces when you truly need it. Back in Jiro's subspace lab, you needed it more than you ever will in the future."  
  
"You were worried then."  
  
"Yes, I was. You're my daughter, Ryoko. No matter how much you like to think that you aren't. I'll always care about you." Washu said, smiling.  
  
Ryoko only nodded.  
  
"I'll send Tenchi in now." Washu said, standing up and leaving the room.  
  
Finally Tenchi stood in the doorway.  
  
"Washu said you were feeling better." He said, sitting where Washu had been sitting seconds earlier.  
  
"Yeah, I am."  
  
Tenchi only nodded, continuously staring at her.  
  
"What's wrong, Tenchi?"  
  
He took a deep breath.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, Ryoko. You scared me, that's all."  
  
Ryoko smiled a bit.  
  
"Which time?"  
  
"All the time. You died right in front of me, Ryoko. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Aeka died in front of me as well. I couldn't save her either."  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
"No, Ryoko, let me finish. I saw how easily both of you could be taken away from me. How easily you could be taken away. I couldn't live like that, Ryoko."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Without you."  
  
Ryoko didn't say anything. Could Aeka have been right? Could Ryoko have finally won Tenchi, or was he just afraid?  
  
"Tenchi, what are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying that I love you, Ryoko. Those minutes before you were rejoined with the gems, I was ready to die myself."  
  
"Are you sure this is how you feel? You're not afraid of losing me again, you actually mean this...what you're saying."  
  
Tenchi didn't say anything, he simply nodded and smiled.  
  
Ryoko's heart melted. That smile.  
  
"Tenchi..." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him tightly.  
  
"I mean it Ryoko. I love you more than life itself."  
  
She looked in his eyes as he stared back at her lovingly. They moved closer to one another, leaning their faces in together.   
  
Suddenly the door busted open and Aeka, Sasami, Washu, Nobuyuki, and Katsuhito fell into the room. Ryo-Ohki stood triumphantly at the door.  
  
Ryoko only smiled and looked at Tenchi, who was scolding the others for eavesdropping. Things were back to the way they had always been, only now Ryoko had Tenchi's love and Aeka's understanding.   
  
_Things change_, she thought to herself, _but the things that matter never will.  
  
_She looked back at Tenchi, who was now looking at her as he had been before. She smiled to him and he smiled back. Their lips touched and everyone sighed at once.  
  
"That's so sweet!" Sasami said, standing up.  
  
"Let's go make lunch, Sasami." Aeka said, standing up as well.  
  
"All right, let's go Ryo-Ohki."   
  
One by one the group left and Tenchi and Ryoko remained gazing at each other.  
  
"I'm really glad you're all right." He said.  
  
"I'm glad we're all OK."  
  
"Maybe our lives will be boring for a while, now that all of that is over."  
  
"The ending is only the beginning Tenchi, you should know that."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I should, Ryoko. I definitely should."  
  
=========  
~The End~  
  
_Owari soshite Hajimari_


End file.
